Improvement in devices for propelling cars



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4Device for Prop'alling Gars. No. 166.975. ParntedAug.24,1s75;

` NITED STATES ATI-INT OFFICE.,V

IMPROVEMENT IN Devices FOR PRoPt-:LLING OARs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l66,975, dated August 24, 1875;- application filed June 28, 1875.

To all whom, it vIrl/arly concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM EPPELsHEII/I- ER, of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented an Improvement in Turn-Tables and Switches for Railways, of

' cars are drawn by traveling rope or chain running in a channel or chamber provided for it underneath the surface ot' the roadway, the connection between the traveling-rope and car being established by a suitable griping device attached to a standard or arm securedv to the car and extending downward into the'aforesaid chamber under the surface of the roadway; and consists in a turn-table (one or more) `or switch, provided" with a chamber or passage through it underneath its upper surface, corresponding substantially to that under the roadwayof the main track,and aslit or narrow opening through such upper surface into such chamben or passage. rlhe said turn-table being so constructed and placed, and so operating, relatively to the main track, that the grappling device on its standard, attached to a car, may pass from under and through the surface of the main roadwayinto and through the said passage .or chamber and surfaccopeningmin the turn-table or switch.

A A are the main tracks of two railroads. Underneath each of these tracks is constructed a channel or chamber, in which travels a perpetually-moving rope or chain. Through the covering of these chambers is formed a narrow opening'or slit, C, for the passage of the standard, to which is attached the beforenamed grappling device. D D are two turntables, each formed of abcd-plate, a, and floorplate b, with an intermediate body, d, of sufficient depth to allow of there being formed in it a channel'- or chamber, B', similar to the chamber for the endless rope under the main tracks, so that when the table iswturned in position to bring such chamber in line with that under the main track the chamber will be continuous throughthe turnftable. Upon the faces of these turn tables rails are secured in the ordinary way to form tracks corresponding to the main tracks. In the floor-plates b of the tableare formed slits or operiugs e, corresponding to those in the `coverings of the chambersof the main tracks. These tables are pivoted at the center'and run on frictionrollers c c in the usual way. E is a section of the endless rope, showing it as it is arranged Vat a turn-table, it being sunk below the said table into a chamber provided for it under the foundation of the table, where there are pro vided frictionpulleys l` Z to run over. By this arrangement the rope avoids the turntable and leaves the same-free to revolve any desired distance on its center. It is obvious that my invention is applicableY aswell to what is technically known as a switch as to what is' known as a turn-table, the former bcing in fact a segment of the latten-,it beingv necessary only to lay therails of the switch upon a platform of sufficient depth to contain Awithin it the rope-chamber, to make a slit or opening through the upper floor of the platform for the passage of the standard of the grappling device, and then to swing the platform instead of swinging merely the rails of the switch, as is usually done. `Fig. 4

(Sheet Il) shows the application of my iII- Y vention to a turn-table or switch, in which the undcrground traveling rope runs directly through the rope-chamber in the switch or table instead of running underneath the floorplate of the same, as showuin Fig. 2. This modification is to be used when the cars run from the main track onto a branch Or turnout, requiring the swinging'of the switch only a distance that is lessv than the width of the rope-chambers. By this modification, and by employing an endless rope running over pulleys, as seen at g g', both lines of the rope between the pulleys may be run in opposite directions on the same track, and on the main track and a branch. G may be regarded as the main track, and .H a branch. `k and k are the two lines of au endless rope running around the pulleys'g g', the two ylines running in the same subterraneous chamber in the track between thewpulleys and the points 2 'access where the branch H connects with the main track. At each of these points is a switch, I, or turn-table I', provided with a ropechamber running through it', and a sl'ot opening through the surface platform into the said chamber. the .switches being set as shown by the full lines in the drawing, making the main track continuous across the switches. A car grappled to the rope 7c will have an open and continuous track across the switches, and the slot in the roadway of such track co inciding -with the slot i in the switch the standard h of the grappling device on the car will pass freely through the said slot i, and the` grappling device through the rope-chamber in the said table and'under the main track. Then by swinging the switch or table into the position indicated by the dotted lines, the track and the slot are opened onto the branch H, so that a car grappled to the .line of rope k will run over the said branch, the aforesaid standard passing through the slot in the switch ortable into theslot in the roadway of the branch, and the grappling devices grappled to the linek will pass through the rope-chamber in the switch or table from the ropechan1ber under the main track into the chamber in the branch H. Y

A switch proper is preferably used, aswith va turn-table the car must 'be run first onto the table from the branch, and then the table turned t-o adj ust its rails to the main track.

When it is desired4 to provide for the transfer of a car from one track to another inde pendent track, and the two tracks are sufficiently near together to render it practicable,

'a'single large turntable may be employed in place of the two turn-.tables shown in the l drawing, Fig. l, it only being necessary thatl such larger tableshould be provided with two -I tracks,and two ropechanibers, and slots openalso with a rope-chamber under its surfacedoor, and a slot through such door into said chamber, which may open respectively into the rope-chamber and slit in the road-way of the main track, whereby the grappling device and its standard, attached to a ear running on the road and across the switch or turn-table, may pass from the rope-chamber under the main track into the rope-chamber 'and slot in a branchtrack, or th reverse, all

substantially as and for the purpose described. 2. The combination, with a railway-track,

Iprovided with a subterraneous rope-chamber,

as described, of a tum-table,- provided likewise with a sub-surface chamber similar to that under the railwayltrack, and also a-passage underneath the body of said table, where-v by the rope traveling under the railway-track may avoid the said table and leave it free to turn on its pivot, all substantially a's described.

In witness whereof I have hereuntoset my hand this 26th day oi' June, 1875.

WILLIAM EPPELSHEIMER.

Witnesses:

HENRY INFELD, B. S. CLARK. 

